Transportation of livestock by road

Entry Requirements

Candidates taking the Certificate of Competence must be a minimum of 16 years of age, there is no upper age limit.

Learning Outcomes

  • Legal requirements and responsibilities
  • Responsibilities when transporting animals
  • Planning a journey by road
  • Suitability of the vehicle
  • Checking animals fitness to travel
  • Causes and signs of stress in animals
  • Space allowance and stocking densities and segregation requirements
  • Handling and animal welfare in transit
  • Post-journey requirements

Assessment only

  1. Transport of livestock by road – short journey. The short journey is over 65km and up to 8 hours travelling. This is an online/multiple choice assessment which is undertaken at the college. This is an assessment only, we do not provide training but provide self-tuition material.
  2. Transport of livestock – long journey. This is for journeys of over 8 hours and is relevant to those transporting animals abroad commonly. This is a practical assessment only and an assessor would be sent to your site to conduct the assessment.

The certificate will be endorsed against one or more of the following species that the candidate has been registered against.

Sheep or cattle and cattle or pigs or horses and game birds or poultry.

Short journey

This qualification is made up of one compulsory unit in two parts – Part 1 for cattle, cattle and sheep, sheep, pigs and horses, and/or part B for poultry & game birds.

Assessment is in the form of an on-line-multi-choice EVOLVE based test or via oral questioning from an approved Assessor.

Long journey

This qualification is made up of two compulsory and one optional unit.

UNIT 1 – Long distance transport of animals by road – principals (assessed by on-line multi-choice EVOLVE based test or via oral questioning from an approved assessor).

UNIT 2 – Long distance transport of animals by road – principals (assessed in one-to-one practical with an approved assessor).

UNIT 3 (optional) – drive an animal transport vehicle – this unit requires the candidate to complete a journey minimum of 15 miles with minimum 75% load of vehicle with the vehicle being of a type that the candidate normally drives (assessed in one-to-one practical with an approved assessor).